Garter



March 2 1926.

1,575,544 E. G. CLEMENTS GARTER Fild Dec. 24, 1925 lmmrmm gwuzntov Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,575,544 PATENT OFFICE.

EVERETT G. CLEMENTS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

GARTER.

I Application filed December 24, 1925. Serial No. 77,541.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, EVERETT G.'CLEMENTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVashington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in garters and particularly the form of garter skirt and, for this reason, must be 'ornamental and permit of a vastrange of color combinations in order'to meet'the requirements of fashion.

The garter therefore must be capable of performing three distinctly different and separate functions; first, to resiliently support the stocking in adjusted position on the wearers leg without binding or otherwise interfering with the operation of the veins, muscles etc., of the leg.

Second, to envelop the roll of the stocking, compress it into a neat and uniform roll, and retain it in adjusted positionv on the garter,and,

Third, to ornament that portion of the garter which encloses the roll of the stocking and render that portion which lies beneath the roll and stocking invisible, when viewed through the stocking.

With these objects in view, attention is directed to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, illustrating my improved garter applied to the leg and to the rolled top of the stock- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the elastic band as it would appear in inoperative condition, illustrating the shape of the bandand the relation of the two colored portions and the reinforced edge. 1

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the;-line 3-3 of Fig. 1 which illustrates the operation of the garter in use. a

In the drawings .just described, and particularly Fig. 1, the portions indicated as A represent the flesh of the human leg, on which a stocking B is drawn and the top of the stocking rolled down in the form of an annular roll C, which encircles the leg A below the knee. T hese portions, of course, form no part of the invention disclosed herein, but are shown and so designated to illustrate the relation of my invention to such parts.

In Fig. 1 it will be noted that the roll enveloping portion of the garter is shown partly up and partly down over the roll of the stocking to illustrate the steps or method of applying the garter in use. A portion of the stocking is shown broken away to illustrate the portion of the garter which adheres to the leg beneath the roll and stocking.

The garter 1 comprises an annular band of garter elastic .composed preferably of thin, pliable sheet rubber, which is adapted to bedrawn up over the calf of the leg A to a point'immediately below the knee. The annular band or garter l'is of such width as to provide two contiguous portions 2 and 3 which are joined at a medium line 4 in any desired manner, or may be formed in an integral piece,

The annular portion 2 which, as shown in Fig. 2 extends below the seam or line 1, comprises the leg-engaging and adhering portion of the garter, and is of such width as to provide a large contact surface withthe leg on which the stocking and stocking roll are supported, see Fig. 1. Since this portion 2 lies under the stocking-B it must be of considerable width in order to positively adhere to the leg without binding. It will therefore be noted that the lower portion thereof extends a noticeable distance below the material forming the roll 0. It is essential therefore, from a commercial stand point, that this portion 2 be rendered as in-' conspicious. as possible, and it has been found that, by making the outer surface of such portion flesh colored, it is rendered practically invisible when viewed through the material of the stocking B.

The annular portion 3, which comprises the upper or stocking roll-enveloping and retaining portion, is of a suflicient width to be folded over the outer surface of the stocking roll C, and engages the material of the stocking B immediately below the roll.

.As this portion 3, of the garter 1, is

stretched during the process of folding it over the stocking roll, it has been found desirable to reinforce the edge 5 to increase the life of the garter, and also in order to cause the edge 5, in o eration, to snugly engage the material of the stocking immediately below the roll. encloses the roll of the stocking is shown of an orange color, but it will be understood that this portion may be ornamented or colored as desired, to add to the novel effect of the device as fashion, it being understood thatthe color of the portion 3 and particularly the inner surface thereof which is exposed when folded over the stocking roll must harmon ize with that of the stocking B. Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, it be noted that the garter or elastic band l is tapered slightly from the edge 6 of the,

portion 2, to the edge 5 of the portion 3; to conform to that portion of the human legto which the gage and adhere.

By thus shaping the portion 2, it has been found that less contractive force is .required in order to cause the garter to adhere to legs of varyingsizes, reducing the required number of sizes of garters to-meet the public demand and also permitting of the use of thinner and more pliable garter materials.

The portion 3 forms a tapered extension of the portion2 and functions, as illustrat ed in Fig. 3, to draw in the edge 5, beneath the roll C of the stocking, and to exert an upward elastic tension against the underside of the roll adjacent the material of the stocking, as at the point indicated by the arrow, ,Fig. 3, to resiliently support the stocking and maintain it and the roll in adjusted position on the leg. By tapering the garter 1 from the larger end indicated at 6 to the smaller end indicated at 5, the edge to creep-up than down.

5 of the band 1 has a tendency on the leg beneath the roll rather The portion 3 which.

prescribed by harmony and herin garter is adapted to en The stocking B is thus resiliently supported by the garter and maintained in adjusted position on the leg A.

What I claim is:

1.- A garter comprising an upwardly tapered, tubular band of garter elastic adapted to frictionally engage and adhere to the leg of the wearer, and of stichgiyidth as to permit that the upper tapered portion thereof be folded over and outside of the lower portion to envelop and resilientlysupport the material of the upper part of a stocking lying between the folds, whereby to support the stocking upon thellegfffi 2. A garter comprising a tapered, tubular band of gaitenlaStic adapted to frictionally engage and adherejoi the wearer, said tapered band I freinforced at one end" and of'such fiidthas -to permit that the. reinforced end-portion thereof be folded overland outside'gf the leg'adhering portion to ll lYelfip nd ii'esiliently support the material of the stocking n said leg-ad- 3. K garter comprising an I elastic? band of garter elastic foldable upon itself along an intermediate line to envelop and support the material of a stoekingbetweenthe folded portions, said band being differently colored upon opposite sides'of said-intermediate linev toproViRle afcolor contrasting to the color of thestockingand a color efi'ecting the appearance-- of; flesh when viewed through the stocking.

4. A garter comprising a tubular band of EVERETT G. CL EMENTS whereof I aflix my signa- 

